“I Just Have to Stick with It and It’ll Work”: Experiences of Adolescents and Young Adults with Mental Health Concerns

Mental health issues are common among adolescents and young adults but service utilization in this group is low. This study aimed to better understand the experiences of older adolescents and young adults who were experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, including the factors that affected th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Community mental health journal 2014-10, Vol.50 (7), p.778-786
Main Authors: Bluhm, Robyn L., Covin, Roger, Chow, Melody, Wrath, Andrew, Osuch, Elizabeth A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Adult
Anxiety
Anxiety - drug therapy
Anxiety - psychology
Anxiety - therapy
Attitude to Health
Community and Environmental Psychology
Decision Making
Depression - drug therapy
Depression - psychology
Depression - therapy
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Interviews as Topic
Male
Medical Decision Making
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mental depression
Mental disorders
Mental Disorders - psychology
Mental Disorders - therapy
Mental Health
Mental Illness
Psychiatry
Psychotropic Drugs - therapeutic use
Qualitative Research
Stereotyping
Teenagers
Young Adult
Young Adults
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Summary:Mental health issues are common among adolescents and young adults but service utilization in this group is low. This study aimed to better understand the experiences of older adolescents and young adults who were experiencing symptoms of depression or anxiety, including the factors that affected their decision to seek treatment and their feelings about their experience of mental health issues. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 37 older adolescents and young adults. Participants tended to have a sophisticated understanding of the causes of mental disorders, but to have been unsure about whether their own experiences of depression or anxiety were the result of a mental disorder, or just “normal” experiences. They reported concerns about taking medication and about keeping information about their condition private. They also felt that it was important to them to be active participants in their own care.
ISSN:0010-3853
1573-2789
DOI:10.1007/s10597-014-9695-x